Cancer patients cannot afford to heat homes

24th March 2011

Macmillan Cancer Support has warned that patients in Scotland are having to rely on handouts to keep warm because they cannot afford to heat their homes.

The nursing cancer charity has revealed that it is now spending twice as much on helping patients to heat their homes than it was five years ago. Latest figures show that almost £425,000 was given out to cancer patients in Scotland to help them meet the cost of home heating in 2010. This is compared to £226,000 in 2005.